Subject: Studying O.T. is creating problems. |
Bible Note: Greetings Thinker! Let's please stick to one example before we move on to another! :-) There are those among liberal scholars who believe that many people wrote the first five books of the Bible. However, there is no documentary evidence of such. What is mean is this - there aren't any copies of the Pentateuch which show evidences of one layer missing and then being added later. All of the manuscripts contain exactly the same text throughout. So, I don't put any stock into this theory. It is based on PURE speculation and nothing else. Someone proposes that there must have been different authors because different words are used for God, as if an author is incapable of varying his vocabulary. ;-) But, back to Gen. 6 and 7. Where is the problem when the first account gives the basics (most of the animals were in fact in pairs) and then the second account gives greater detail and brings out the fact that some animals were taken in sevens? Why is this a problem? Now, concerning Judas allow me to ask you this question. Under what circumstances would a person fall headlong in a field and burst asunder so that one's bowels fall out? The general understanding of this passage is again that varying details are given. The first passage mentions that he hung himself and gives no more information. The second account lists what most have happened afterwards to his body. Like most authors, Luke probably wanted to add detail which was not included in the earlier accounts that there might be greater detail avaliable. Again, I believe that people hold Scripture to an unfair and illogical standard, to which they do not hold any other historical document. The Bible is not primarily a history, but even if it were a strict historical record, there would still be varying levels of specificity in the various accounts. We don't say that modern historical works are in error for carefully selecting which and how much detail they want to include. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |